Literally: Amazing Words and Where They Come From

Gr 3-8–This book explains the origin of 12 English words. The illustrations are reflective of the original meanings. Stevenson builds large, lively layers of painterly, textured shapes and tailored color schemes, assembled specifically to offer different perspectives. The illustrations encourage a deeper understanding of the meaning of familiar English words, though the bold color schemes and expansive layouts often overwhelm the condensed information presented. The text expands upon each word’s cultural origin in an upbeat but dry tone, and the overall word count is lower than expected considering the author’s determination to celebrate the power of language. Skipworth’s conviction is most clearly expressed in the inspiring introduction, the “Language Families” resource, and his author’s note. However, the reading level and contextual knowledge required to comprehend these sections and each origin citation are above the middle grade level. This is a significant contrast with the overall title and its fact-based, illustrated entries.